Retail card spending rose 0.7 percent in April 2023 compared with March 2023, when adjusted for seasonal effects, according to data released by Stats NZ today.
“This month’s growth of 0.7 percent follows a similar rise last month,” business performance manager Ricky Ho said. “Consumables and durables led the growth despite falls in all other categories.”
Consumables include groceries and liquor, while durables include items such as furniture, hardware, and appliances.
| Month | Actual | Seasonally adjusted |
| Apr-20 | 2870608000 | 2962807000 |
| May-20 | 5188203000 | 5280894000 |
| Jun-20 | 5701230000 | 6100455000 |
| Jul-20 | 5968957000 | 6172878000 |
| Aug-20 | 5438997000 | 5719500000 |
| Sep-20 | 5734401000 | 6076141000 |
| Oct-20 | 6250722000 | 6060970000 |
| Nov-20 | 6256029000 | 6027042000 |
| Dec-20 | 7459526000 | 6013426000 |
| Jan-21 | 6005676000 | 5995722000 |
| Feb-21 | 5391444000 | 5856498000 |
| Mar-21 | 5937346000 | 5889317000 |
| Apr-21 | 5989711000 | 6153097000 |
| May-21 | 6129789000 | 6279611000 |
| Jun-21 | 5930914000 | 6329030000 |
| Jul-21 | 6252189000 | 6419821000 |
| Aug-21 | 4821625000 | 5124155000 |
| Sep-21 | 4878099000 | 5124142000 |
| Oct-21 | 5774430000 | 5631971000 |
| Nov-21 | 6436912000 | 6189667000 |
| Dec-21 | 7770984000 | 6204763000 |
| Jan-22 | 6346436000 | 6391698000 |
| Feb-22 | 5449256000 | 5934318000 |
| Mar-22 | 5910254000 | 5849152000 |
| Apr-22 | 6113927000 | 6256210000 |
| May-22 | 6171502000 | 6388612000 |
| Jun-22 | 6042842000 | 6399691000 |
| Jul-22 | 6221006000 | 6431280000 |
| Aug-22 | 6116981000 | 6461004000 |
| Sep-22 | 6270883000 | 6544761000 |
| Oct-22 | 6734272000 | 6603120000 |
| Nov-22 | 6895341000 | 6622389000 |
| Dec-22 | 8146272000 | 6464774000 |
| Jan-23 | 6515834000 | 6642000000 |
| Feb-23 | 6085125000 | 6637526000 |
| Mar-23 | 6824429000 | 6686736000 |
| Apr-23 | 6502381000 | 6736861000 |
The total card spending on consumables increased by $60 million (2.3 percent), and total card spending on durables increased by $17 million (1.0 percent) in April.
| Industry (ANZSIC06) | % |
| Consumables | 2.3 |
| Durables | 1 |
| Apparel | -1.6 |
| Motor vehicles excl. fuel | -4.5 |
| Fuel | -2.5 |
| Non-retail excl. services | -1.9 |
| Services | -0.6 |
Total seasonally adjusted card spending rose in April, up $91 million (1.0 percent), with spending on groceries and liquor driving this increase.
In actual terms, total retail card spending increased by $388 million (6.4 percent), and total card spending increased by $639 million (7.8 percent) from April 2022 to April 2023.
Values are only available at the national level and are not adjusted for price changes.
Electronic card transactions data covers the use of credit and debit cards in shops and online, and includes both the retail and services industries.
